Paintball equipment makes an excellent birthday gift for many different ages, however particularly for a 14 year old boy. If you want your exciting gift to have an even bigger impact, give it to him at a paintball themed birthday party that features a game he can use it at! Playing pin the tale on the donkey at Chuck E Cheese loses its cool factor after about 10 years old. Host a paintball game at your next party and you will keep your guests occupied and excited all day!
Fortunately, paintball equipment is very easy to access and readily available from many online stores and have it shipped directly to your door. If you shop at the right place, you can purchase much top quality paintball gear fairly cheaply; depending on how much you’re willing to spend, some shops will even offer volume discounts if you ask. This makes it affordable to offer paintball related door prizes or supply gear for your guests at the party.
It’s easy to get creative with paintball themed food for the party. Ideas for great paintball birthday cakes are many; the colorful splat design of exploded paintballs are nearly a staple for such an occasion. Gumballs also look identical in size, color and shape to paintballs, making them another fun paintball cake accessory. Go all out and make a full scale paintball war scene made out of marzipan if you’re really adventurous.
You can also get creative with invitations to your paintball party. While these are easy enough to make if you have a bit of talent with colored pens, construction paper or other art supplies, the easiest way to go is to have them made by a professional printer. This can be done rather cheaply, however fortunately the paintball party idea isn’t new; there are many paintball themed invitation templates available for purchase to use as basic ideas.
While presents, cake and ice cream are fun, the real entertainment at the party will be the game. First decide if you want to host the game at a commercial field or your own property. Booking your party at a commercial field is most likely the easiest way to pull off a successful paintball party as the field is already set up and rental equipment is plentiful. Commercial fields also offer air tank refills and regular supplies of paintballs so play can resume uninterrupted throughout the day.
Many commercial fields offer to book parties often with different packages available. Depending on what the field offers for their party packages, how much it will cost and how many guests you will have, decide whether you will cover the cost of rental equipment or have your guests bring money to rent their own. Some fields offer refreshments and snacks your guests can have throughout the day, however for extra costs.
Besides having to follow the rules and limitations of a commercial field, the main disadvantage is there are simply not that many around. If you don’t live close enough to a field to hold your party there, the next best option is to hold your own, however this will require an expansive enough land space to play. Fortunately, any woods or wide open field will do and these are easy enough to find.
When hosting your own paintball game, the cheapest way is to ‘BYOPBG’ (Bring Your Own Paintball Gun). Supplying every bit of paintball gear for all your guests would be too expensive for most budgets, however paintball is popular enough; it will surprise you how many people already own equipment. Also keep in mind, hosting a BYOPBG party may cut down on the number of guests who can attend your party – if they don’t have a paintball gun, they won’t have much fun at the party.
The best way to host your own paintball party is to consider providing CO2 tanks and paintballs, while your guests bring everything else. It’s also smart to invest in several cheap paintball masks in case your guests forget theirs. Paintball masks are the only mandatory piece of safety equipment and must be worn at all times to play; without a mask, your guests should not be permitted to play.
While you’re purchasing cheap paintball gear, you might also consider stocking up on certain necessary accessories your guests may need throughout the day. These include extra hoppers, gun squeegees (to help clean the paintball guns in case a paintball breaks prematurely inside the barrel) and anti-fog spray for your guest’s paintball masks. Don’t forget a set of allen wrenches; these are the main tools used to work on paintball markers in case of a breakdown.
For the most fun, try to have your paintball game well organized. Depending on the number of guests in attendance, be ready with different game variations for them to try. You may also have to groom or modify your play field if necessary. Wooded areas or hay fields work best because they already have built-in structures (trees and hay bales) to hide behind during the action.
Whether you hold your paintball party at a commercial field or the woods behind your house, plan far enough ahead and try to have every detail covered. However you decide to run it, make sure to include necessary details on the invitations so your guests know what to expect and what to bring with them. It also pays to shop around; take your time browsing the internet, asking for quotes and volume discounts when purchasing paintball party supplies.